Urgent Protection Needed for the High Seas
Marine Protected Area - Source: NOAA
ARC Center of Excellence Coral Reef Studies has published an article about an international team of scientists having called for the creation of marine protected areas in the open oceans to protect the world’s sea life from growing damage and loss caused by overexploitation, pollution and other human impacts.
The acronyms on the map represent regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs). Photo by Fisheries and Oceans Canada
The scientists say in an opinion article in the Ecology Journal progress can be made through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, the International Maritime Organization and by individual countries doing more to protect the outer parts of their 200 mile sovereign territories and point out that establishing the Pelagos Marine Sanctuary in the Mediterranean had the effect of encouraging countries such as Italy to tighten controls over the discharge of industrial pollution into the sea.
Read about the scientists concerns and ideas in the full article at Coral Reef Studies.
Copyright © 2009 by Marine Science Today, a publication of OceanLines LLC
Sweetwater Tom | Oct 21, 2009 | Reply
How about dividing the open ocean (past the 200 mile limit) into a 1 degree by 1 degree grid? Allow commercial fishing in alternate squares. This would help the trawled are mostly — un-trawled areas would seed for the trawled areas. Pelagic fish (bill fish, tuna) would move from one square to another.
It’s an idea.